Bremerton police sergeant found in 2015 to have sexually harassed female officer to be promoted

BREMERTON — The Bremerton Police Department is promoting a sergeant found in 2015 to have sexually harassed a female detective and who was found to have helped create a culture in the department where sexual comments were tolerated — if not encouraged.

The city later paid out $175,000 to settle a claim filed by the female officer against Sgt. Kevin Crane.

Crane’s promotion becomes official Oct. 1.

In an internal investigation into the claims of sexual harassment in 2015, Crane admitted he made the statement — implying that if the female officer wanted a promotion she should perform a sex act on him by getting under his desk — but said he was joking.

Crane’s promotion comes as newly installed Chief Jim Burchett makes a round of personnel moves, including Crane’s. Newly elected Mayor Greg Wheeler tapped then-Capt. Burchett, a longtime veteran of the department, to interim chief in January. Last month, Burchett took the oath making him the permanent chief.

Burchett said Crane had participated in at least two rounds of additional training after he was disciplined and demonstrated not only his skills as an officer but as a trusted leader to both men and women in the department.

Burchett also said he was disciplined for a single comment, though an independent investigator found Crane had participated in and encouraged similar conduct.

However, Burchett said the actual comment was made in 2012, and the department intends to correct bad behavior so that officers can change and redeem themselves.

“If you stumble and fall and do something wrong, and are punished, does that punishment follow you for the rest of your career?” Burchett asked. “Some people would love to see that, but we are not going to do that at the Bremerton Police Department.”

Investigator: Crane 'frequently made sexual jokes and comments'

Crane had been lauded for his strengths as an officer, however, the independent investigator wrote that he lacked basic social and supervisory skills.

“The evidence is mixed with regard to Crane’s incitement of joking or innuendo — but it is undisputable that Crane does nothing to curb his own or others’ behavior,” wrote Rebecca Dean, an independent investigator hired by the city. “Moreover, the department management has had some awareness of Crane’s behavior, but has not addressed it.”

In a notice to officers following the settlement of the female officer’s claim, then-Chief Steve Strachan wrote: “The allegations focused on sexual comments, jokes, and banter made, encouraged or tolerated by Sgt. Crane. After interviewing many of the employees in the detectives unit and in its chain of command, the investigator found that Sgt. Crane frequently made sexual jokes and comments and cultivated an environment where such jokes and comments became commonplace.”

Crane was suspended without pay for three days. Though his supervisory status was not taken away, he was moved from the detectives unit to the patrol unit.

The female officer later filed a claim against the city and has since left the department. Wheeler was on the City Council when it approved the $175,000 payment. Burchett said the round of promotions within the department was discussed with Wheeler, who did not immediately return a message to the Kitsap Sun seeking comment.

Crane admitted the comment was wrong and said it was “inappropriate, insensitive and a flat dumb thing to say,” according to Dean’s report.

Dean found that other officers said they joked to relieve stress and build camaraderie, and wrote that officers she interviewed could not identify more than a negligible number of comments similar to Crane’s because, in Dean’s opinion, the “innuendos are so common that they fade into the background.”

Burchett said three other officers in the department applied for the job and Crane’s specific role would be in support services, which plays to his strengths in technical matters and record-keeping.

“He has been very attuned to the work, but also the personal needs of officers, both men and women,” Burchett said.

He added: “We have had people do things wrong over the years, and if they have served their time in the penalty box and showed they have gone through our training, and met all the requirements, and met our ethics, then what is the purpose of punishment?”

Crane’s new title comes with a raise and expands his supervisory power over the department’s employees. He currently makes $120,000 a year but will make $128,000 after the promotion, according to the city’s Human Resources Department.

A roster included in a weekly department newsletter lists 50 officers — though the total number of officers is more than that. The department currently has two female officers, but Burchett said it is working on hiring a third. All officers in supervisory positions on the roster are men.